An example metamaterial is a composite material having an artificial structure that can be tailored to obtain desired electromagnetic properties. A metamaterial may comprise a repeated unit cell structure. A typical unit cell comprises an electrically conducting pattern formed on an electrically non-conducting (dielectric) substrate.
The electromagnetic response of a metamaterial may be controlled using different parameters associated with a unit cell. For example, parameters may include unit cell dimensions, shape and size of conducting patterns therein, and the like. Hence, a metamaterial can be manufactured having a desired electromagnetic property at a particular operating frequency.
However, it would be extremely useful to adjust the properties of a metamaterial dynamically, so that electromagnetic properties may be adjusted during use of the metamaterial.